The interactive exhibition "The Door to Japanese Art" at the main building of the Tokyo National Museum (hereinafter referred to as "TNM") in Ueno Park, Tokyo, will reopen on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, after renovations.
The concept behind the new content, "Tohaku Wonder Wall," is "once-in-a-lifetime encounter." From a vast collection of approximately 120,000 items, it interactively presents a recommended item based on the visitor's actions, guiding them to a "new encounter with cultural artifacts."
"Tohaku Wonder Wall" Exhibition Room Image
■Corner 1: "Tohaku Wonder Wall" – Creating a once-in-a-lifetime encounter between you and cultural heritage sites.
The Tokyo National Museum houses a collection of approximately 120,000 items, including national treasures and important cultural properties. However, only about 3,000 of these cultural properties are on display today. This means that visitors often find it difficult to see the cultural property they are looking for, and some visitors also express confusion about "where to go and what to see" in the various exhibition halls. Due to preservation reasons, exhibits are changed regularly, so there's no guarantee that you'll see the same cultural property you encountered today on your next visit. However, this is by no means a negative thing. In other words, the Tokyo National Museum is a "museum of once-in-a-lifetime encounters," where you can encounter unknown cultural properties every time you visit.
"Tohaku Wonder Wall" is an interactive content that serves as an entrance to the magnificent world of cultural treasures, stimulating visitors' curiosity and guiding them to a more active and enriching viewing experience. By utilizing the Tokyo National Museum's web information and collection database "ColBase," it creates a system that matches visitors with cultural treasures that can definitely be seen on that day, according to their diverse interests, proposing a new way for visitors to experience the museum.
[Content Production: Uchida Yoko Co., Ltd. ( https://www.uchida.co.jp/ ) and Power Place Co., Ltd. ( https://www.powerplace.co.jp/ )]
≪First half of the content: A special video (short film) exploring 150 years of history and masterpieces≫
This approximately two-minute special video provides an overview of the Tokyo National Museum. Beginning with the Yushima Seido Exposition in 1872 and continuing to its 150th anniversary in 2022, the video uses visuals and music to express the dynamic breadth of Japanese and Asian cultural artifacts. The video features masterpieces representing the museum, such as the "Pine Forest Screen," the "Kokin Wakashu (Gen'ei Edition)," and the "Shakoki Dogu (Goggle-Eyed Clay Figurine)," conveying the appeal of its diverse collection that transcends eras and genres.
A scene from the "Tohaku Wonder Wall" special movie.
≪Second half of the content: An interactive experience that guides you to "the one thing you'll encounter today"≫
This digital content features various interactive elements, such as a "Meet the Researchers' Favorites!" corner showcasing masterpieces carefully selected by researchers, and a corner where you can encounter cultural artifacts by spinning a lottery-like wheel, where "what you win is a surprise each day." Four randomly selected content pieces from six different perspectives are generated and displayed in real time, linked to information on approximately 3,000 works on display that day, and finally, "a recommended item for you" is suggested, making you want to head to the exhibition rooms to see the actual cultural artifacts. It is available in four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean, making it intuitively enjoyable for many visitors from both Japan and abroad. Make your encounter with the museum and cultural artifacts more fun and unexpected than ever before.
Image of the "Tohaku Wonder Wall" interactive content experience.
■Corner 2: "Encountering High-Definition Replicas" – The sense of distance without glass provides a moving experience (ongoing exhibition)
The Cultural Properties Utilization Center (Bunkatsu), in collaboration with companies and other organizations, will exhibit high-definition reproductions of folding screens and hanging scrolls, which will be displayed according to the season.
Many Japanese cultural artifacts are sensitive to light, heat, and humidity. To ensure they can be passed down for 100 or even 1000 years, exhibition lighting, temperature, and humidity are strictly controlled, and the number of days they are on display each year is limited. Originally, these items were passed from hand to hand and used in daily life, but now it is no longer possible to enjoy them with that kind of personal connection.
In this section, you can examine highly detailed replicas, created using the latest digital technology and traditional craftsmanship, without glass cases, allowing you to carefully examine every detail. Enjoy a unique viewing experience with replicas that is not possible with the originals—seeing, feeling, and imagining the scenery and space that unfolds from them.
Furthermore, the originals of these high-resolution reproductions, especially masterpieces, are often loaned to other museums, meaning they are only exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum once every few years. These lifelike, high-resolution reproductions ensure that many people can encounter these beloved treasures.
All are high-definition reproductions. From left to right: National Treasure "Screen Painting of People Enjoying Fun Under the Cherry Blossoms" (on display until May 17), National Treasure "Screen Painting of People Enjoying Summer Evening" (on display from June 30 to August 30), "Flame" (on display until August 30).
■Exhibition information
Tokyo National Museum, Main Building, 1st Floor, Room B: "The Gateway to Japanese Art"
Opening date: June 30, 2026 (Tuesday)
*Closed for renovation work from May 18th (Mon) to June 29th (Mon)
Venue: Room B, 1st Floor, Main Building, Tokyo National Museum (13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Opening hours: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM (Last entry 30 minutes before closing)
*Open until 8:00 PM every Friday and Saturday.
*This exhibition follows the format of the Tokyo National Museum Collection Exhibition.
Closed on Mondays (except when Monday is a public holiday or weekend, in which case the museum will be open and closed on the following weekday), during the New Year holidays, and other occasional temporary closures.
Admission Fee: (Tokyo National Museum Collection Exhibition) General Admission: 1,000 yen, University Students: 500 yen, High School Students and younger: Free
*This can be viewed with the admission fee for the Tokyo National Museum Collection Exhibition or the admission fee for the special exhibition currently being held (valid only on the day of viewing).
Homepage: https://cpcp.nich.go.jp/modules/r_exhibition/index.php?controller=dtl&id=53
[Cultural Property Utilization Center]
Established in 2018 at the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, it is a national center for the utilization of cultural properties. With the vision of "creating a society in which all people think about and participate in passing on cultural properties to the future 1,000 or 2,000 years from now," and with the mission of "creating opportunities for as many people as possible to become familiar with cultural properties," it engages in a variety of activities.
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[National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Center for the Utilization of Cultural Properties] Press Release
